Istanbul

First a brief history and some interesting facts about Istanbul.
Early settlement dates back to the 7th millennium BCE, that's 7000 years before Christ.
Istanbul was originally named Constantinople and was the location of four Empires; The Roman Empire 330-395 AD, Byzantine Empire 395-1204 AD and 1261-1453 AD, Latin Empire 1204-1261 AD, and the Ottoman Empire 1453-1922.  
It's position on the historic "Silk Road" along with the only sea route between the Mediterranean and the Black sea and rail lines connecting Europe and the Middle East made Istanbul one of the most important crossroads in the world. During the Middle ages it was the largest city in the world. Istanbul is now the 6th largest city in the world and the only city that straddles two continents, Europe and Asia. In 2012 Istanbul hosted 11.6 million foreign visitors making the city the world's 5th most popular destination.
Needless to say our week's stay only scratched the surface of this amazing city.

One of the very first things you notice upon arrival in Istanbul are the mosque minarets that mark the skyline. There are close to 3,000 in this huge city and some are very old and historic.
I had read about the famous blue mosque with it's blue tiles from Iznik and heard it was one of the top attractions. Bob said semi-seriously that he was only good for looking at one mosque! So we had a glance at the city map and then on a nice, sunny morning set out on foot across the Galata Bridge towards a prominent, giant domed mosque on top of a hill. 

Suleymaniye Mosque

We arrived at the end of prayers, as men spilled out of the doors. As I had never visited a mosque before, I had to observe how to follow the protocol and then covered my head with my scarf and removed my shoes to step inside this large complex. The interior, the prayer hall was so open, the ceiling so high with a beautiful colourful dome and huge pillars, all creating a breathtaking sight. Then my eyes soon found the vast area of carpet where way off in the distance several men were in prostration (forehead to the ground), a ritual way of praying while bathed in light from the high stained glass windows. 

There was a giant circle of lights overhead, a chandelier with globe lights and beside me was a tour guide talking with with several people to whom she was pointing out the ostrich eggs, interspersed between the lights. She explained that this was an old method to avoid cobwebs and ward off spiders!

Ostrich egg

I gazed around the interior, taking photos and looked everywhere for the blue tiles. There was a interpretive series of signs for those unfamiliar with the Muslim religion and there I met up with Bob and asked him if he had seen the blue tiles. I was astonished when he replied, "we are in the wrong mosque. The blue mosque is a 20 minute walk away and I said only one mosque."One look at my face and he led me out the door and away towards the Blue Mosque.

Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque)

More than 20 minutes later we noticed the unique six minarets of another very large mosque with a long line of tourists around the courtyard and also many security men. Apparently the Pope was to visit the Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque), the very next day so preparations were well underway. Once inside I could hardly see for the crowd and it appeared so similar to the one we had just left. However, I finally  did see the beautiful blue tiles along with green and white in lovely floral patterns yet I kept thinking back to the other mosque and how it won my heart as I was able to freely and quietly view and enjoy my first impressions.

 A closer look at a map and it was easy to see how we became confused with the two names, Suleymaniye Mosque and Sultanahmet Mosque  (Blue Mosque). Both are from the time of the Ottoman so look quite similar too. I feel fortunate to have been able to enjoy a visit to both.

During our visit to Istanbul we spent a lot of time on the streets, everyone does.

At first it was simply because the public transportation system was a major challenge for us to decipher. So we walked and walked. 

Istiklal Avenue

Our hotel was just blocks away from Istiklal Avenue, the pedestrian only main street in the Beyoglu District and the very first evening we were directed there. Our first impressions were not favourable as it was so modern looking, jammed packed with people, even though it was night and there were recognisable chain stores like H & M and Body Shop.

We were told that over a million people a day walked this pedestrian street and the next day we walked the entire length from Takism Square down towards the Bosphorous, a distance of 1.4 km. We were becoming slightly more comfortable with weaving through all the black jacketed people so we began to notice restaurants, shops, cafes and see beyond the contemporary to the varied architecture of public and historic buildings, five to six stories high.There was no doubt that it was  vibrant atmosphere and where the Turkish citizens visited too. Here history and tradition mix with modern and chic and in retrospect this was the best example of  a culture at crossroads and the pulse of the city.Where else can you view an old tram and hear live music, watch dancing while looking at at store window with latest European fashions?

Soon we were taking trams, the metro, taxis and ferries to cross over the water and visit the Asian side and other attractions yet daily we were drawn back to walking Istiklal Avenue. 

Takism Square anchors Istikal Avenue and it is a major transportation hub. We learned it was very easy to take the Kabatas Takism Funicular Line and ascend/descend the hill in 110 sec. to connect with tram/ferry. The Square, the scene of previous demonstrations was peaceful and perpetually busy plus also a cultural centre with fascinating art shows at the metro station!Towards our last days in Istanbul we walked through the adjacent Gezi Park where trees still stand thanks to protesters and discovered the grand hotels, restaurants and start of a financial district. To me this is the heart of the city and I mention this discovery as a reminder to myself to take different routes as you never know what is around the corner.

Along with the street sights, it was the sounds and smells of Istanbul that made it so memorable. Ever present were the call to prayers from the mosques reverberating across the streets, the many strong, loud male voices of men and the street cooking odours, air pollution and whiffs of sour sewers. Add to this the misty rain, splashing water, dark and dank alleys and spewing fumes from diesel boat motors and you can picture what photos cannot. Charm with an edge, that's Istanbul.

Our last day in Istanbul we travelled on the metro for over an hour and still were in the middle of this HUGE city! We came to see the sea life at the large Akvaryum. It's focus is on the seas of the middle earth and visitors follow a themed geographical route which coincidentally are those we have visited in our travels so far. Starting with the Black Sea and including the Aegean Sea, Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the East Atlantic Ocean. This visit served as a nostalgic and great review for us and a perfect way to summarise our travels to date, as we leave behind Europe and Africa and leap on ahead to South East Asia.

Italy

Our arrival on November 22 at Milan was to be our third visit to northern Italy in two months. We wanted to visit again with our "Italian family" before heading east to Turkey and SE Asia.

After our first enjoyable evening catching up with Chiara and Massi in Busto Arsizio, we travelled southwest to Mortara. Lusia and Antonio live in a charming apartment, located in a former 19th century nunnery. Mortara is a town in the historical district of Lomellina, renowned as a rice growing centre. The right environmental conditions on the large flat plain have supported rice cropping for almost 300 years. I never expected to see rice paddies in Italy!

It was so appropriate and interesting to go for lunch at La Corte Ghiotta at Terno. Here friends of our hosts, have a family run agritourism business. Their main speciality is risotto, flavoured with percini, salmon, and even frog. Our delicious lunch was served in an attractive renovated barn, over many courses and hours, topped off with panna cotta, made from Anna's grandmothers recipe.

La Corte Ghiotta

The next day we set out to visit Vigevano, Antonio's hometown and another centre we would have never have discovered on our own. Such a nice treat to be shown local gems! Today Vigevano is known as Italy's "shoe capital" yet we were most suprized by the beautiful Piazza Ducale. This renaissance square dates back to the 1490's and is a fine example of a piazza, with almost perfect proportion 3:1, three sided, surrounded with arches and on the fourth is the Cathedral Church of Saint Ambrose. Bramante's design includes striking street tiles. It's a perfect place to sit, enjoy an apertif and the passers-by.

Piazza Ducale, Vigevano

Close by are the grand grounds of Castello Storzesco Castle and Bramante's watchtower. Featuring a unique and long covered road that was built high enough for horsemen to pass through and a stable for 1000 horses.

After a lovely evening meal featuring goose, another speciality of the area, we sadly had to say our goodbyes to Lusia and Antonio. We were cheered with the knowledge that we can look forward to their visit in June 2015. We all vowed to practice our respective new languages in the interim.

The next day we returned to Chiara and Massi's in Busto Arsizo and Giovanni joined us for another wonderful dinner of rabbit prepared by Chiara. Giovanni very kindly drove us to the airport the next morning for our flight to Turkey.   

" A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles" Tim Cahill

Essaouira Morroco

After spending 5 days in Marrakech and 3 days in the desert we decided to check out the seaside. We took a 3hr bus ride to Essaouira a port on the Atlantic. Essaouria was originally named Mogador a French/Portuguese fort built in the 16th century. We found an inexpensive hotel ($45/night including breakfast), just inside the walled medina and set out to explore this small city of 70,000 people.Essaoiura is situated on a long wide crescent beach with the walled medina fort and adjacent port at one end of the beach. 

The port has a shallow harbour so only busy with local fishing boats, seagulls filled the air and the smell of fish was ever present, buy your fish directly from the fishermen at the dock.

As you walk off the dock you enter the walled medina, no motor vehicles allowed, which allowed relaxing strolling. The narrow streets were filled with food stalls, shops selling leather goods, wooden crafts, carpets, art, antiques and numerous cafes, restaurants on the streets. Some restaurants had fantastic ocean views after climbing 4 flights narrow winding stairs.

We took long walks on the beach and watched football games on the sand, kite surfers in the air, and a few brave souls in the surf.

For us it was the perfect place to chill out for a week and recharge our batteries before heading off to our next adventure.

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net forever"  Jacques Coustesu

Berber desert trip

Having seen the desert in Egypt and a bit disappointed as there were no sand dunes, we heard there were sand dunes in Morrocco. We flew back to Italy, spent a day there and then hopped a flight to Marrakech Morroco. We met Zack a Berber spice vendor near our Riad (bed and breakfast) who gave us the low down on the large sand dunes near Merzouga, east into the Sahara near Algeria. We hired an English speaking driver "Hassan"and a  4 by 4 then started a journey of many contrasts.
We drove east from Marrekach and within an hour we were climbing the High Atlas mountains, on a steep, switchback road. What we didn't expect was snow on the roadside as we reached the top of the pass. 

High Atlas Mountains

Hassan

After driving back down to the desert we eventually reached Ait Ben Haddou  which has a thriving movie industry. Three big studios, sets and even a movie museum. We toured an ancient Berber village (also a UNESCO site) where "Gladiator" was filmed, along with many other big budget desert films including "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Mummy". They were shooting a sequel to"The Mummy" while we were there.  We were too white to get on as extra's.

Ancient Berber Village

We left Ait Ben Haddou and at Ouarzazate then started down "The Valley of a 1000 Kasbahs". Kasbahs were the original large fortified houses, now most are surrounded by villages, some are hotels and some are crumbling ruins.

Kasbah

After a good 3 hour  drive we arrived at our hotel tucked into a steep gorge. Off early the next morning, walked along Dades Gorge and watched rock climbers almost directly above us.

Dades Gorge

We drove a few more hours through a vast featureless desert and arrived at Merzouga. Our camels (not really camels but because they have only one hump they are dromedaris, camels have two humps and are only found in Asia). They were waiting across the road from the hotel where our driver stayed.
After 5 minutes we were plodding through the dunes, nothing in sight except for sand, this is what we came for. We stopped after an hour, sat on the dunes and watched the dunes glow in the setting sun. After another hour and in the complete darkness we arrived at the Berber encampment. There were about 15 other tourists there who had taken different routes to the camp, we only saw 2 other tourists on camels on the way in. We had supper and sat around a campfire and listened to our Berber guides singing and drumming. After enjoying the night sky we slept in our own Berber tent, and awoke before dawn, got on the camels and rode out into the dunes to witness the rising sun.Another hour on the camels and we were back with our driver.

That's us

Roughing it in our Berber tent

 From the start of our trip we insisted that our driver avoid the tourist traps, so we took a back road and travelled mostly through uninhabited desert, stopping to photograph wild camels, fossils and rest like the nomads under the umbrella tree. We arrived back in Marrkech late at night exhausted and sensory overloaded.

Marrakesh Morroco

Our next destination was exotic Morroco. We arrived in Marrakesh, an infamous city that holds it's mystique and allure for westerners. Surprisingly it had rained the night before, their first rain since April. An event since it only rains 20 days per year and our driver had to wear his jacket.
Soon we were inside the pink mud brick walls of the medina, the heart of Marrakesh. Traffic was an eye opener, very chaotic and mostly small motorbikes so thankfully our driver knew where he was going. Our riad (bed and breakfast) turned out to be located off a busy side street with more motorbikes, donkey carts, horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and pedestrians. 

A few steps down a narrow alley and we were inside our riad. It was like another world, so peaceful and quiet. The interior courtyard was full of towering plants and all rooms, opened into the atrium. The roof top terrace was a perfect spot to relax and take sunrise and sunset photos.

Alley to our riad

Riad Al Ksar

Roof top view of the Koutoubia Mosque

Armed with a map and directions, we set off to discover our neighbourhood and after several attempts we reached Place Jemaa-el-Fna, the huge historic and crowed square. We walked around, cautiously peeking at snake charmers, street musicians. We sampled fresh squeezed orange juice, dates and nuts from the myriad of stands. A truly unique experience too which we would return a number of times, even at night and during a full moon. Guide books suggested we try grilled food at one of the  numerous stalls in the square. Which we did once and that was enough. 

Place Jemma-el-Fna

One sunny, warm morning we toured the beautiful Jardin Majorelle. It's a perfect oasis in a crowded city and a photographers haven, The garden was originally designed as an artist's landscape garden. Primary vibrant colours adorn pots, walls and the artist's house. We particularly enjoyed the cacti collection.

Marrakech is a sensory travel delight from subtle spices in cooking (tangines), to pottery, to stalls packed with scarves, shoes, lights and even the call to prayers. There are so many colours, patterns and people to observe, a virtual feast for your eyes. It can also be a sensory overload too, so after five days even mint tea ceases to calm, so we welcomed an excursion to see more of Morroco.

After a three day trip to the sand dunes at Mertzouta and a week in Essouria on the Alantic coast, we returned to Marrekech to make our return trip to Italy. The city was still hectic and busy but we were experienced now, bargaining with the taxi drivers for the best "democratic" fare. Walking the medina square with thousands of tourists and locals, buying our supplies at the many stalls and getting to our riad. It was fun to watch the newbie tourists, as we were a week before, that "omg" look in their eyes as they tried to take it all in.